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The cell is the church. Most of those in the cell church movement would agree with this statement. But its application shocked me after talking to a church planter who I coach. This church planter started a cell in his home and will have three cells by September. Yet he was very discouraged saying, “I’m just not sure if I’m the one who should lead this church plant. I don’t think I have what it takes to lead a team to a successful launch.” I just listened. He continued, “I should have more people by now so that I can eventually launch this church.” “But you already have a church,” I countered. “But I need to have a lot more on the launch team to truly launch the church in the future,” he replied. Deeply ingrained in this church planter was the notion that his church really didn’t exist until they had a major launch with a lot of people sometime in the future. In the meantime, he was simply gathering people who were preparing to launch the real church. While he waited for the big launch, he was beset with feelings of failure because he was told by others that he should have many more people in his pre-launch group. All this begs the question of: what is the church? |
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I counseled my friend to see his first cell as the church. I told him to enjoy the multiplication of individual cells, knowing that he had already planted the church. Eventually, he would bring those cells together in a celebration service to enhance the edification and receive more teaching. At that time both the cell and the celebration would be the church. This church planter felt like a failure because he wondered if he had enough gifts and talents to launch a huge, successful gathering that he and others could finally call “the church.” I wanted the church planter to feel the pure joy of knowing that he had already planted the church. Why? Because the cell is the church! Obviously his job was to steadily reach out, multiply cells, etc. But because I believe the cell is the church, I believe it’s harmful to act like a huge Sunday event in a rented building will truly launch the church (this is more of the programmed idea of the church). Again, so much boils down to how we view the church. You might not be planting a cell church. Perhaps you’re trying to transition a more traditional church to the cell church strategy. Yet you might be facing this same dilemma. One pastor confided that his cell members viewed their cell groups as a programmatic extension of the real church that met on Sunday morning. |
The cell is the church—so is the celebration |
Such faulty thinking causes cell members and cell leaders to lightly treat cell attendance but highly prioritize Sunday morning worship. Often it takes a while for member to fully realize that the cell is the church. Cell leaders truly function as pastors, and they should be encouraged to act out this responsibility. How have you viewed the cell? Do you see it as the church? |
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CCS News |
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CCS BOARD: Left to right: Celyce Comiskey, Joel Comiskey, Rob Campbell, Steve Cordle (Buddy Lindsay not present) |
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